It always amuses me when people say a gun fight isn't realistic. If you haven't been in one, how can you know what goes through one's mind under such duress?

Anyway, I like this show a lot, but I really don't see it going anywhere...the group finds a nice place...things get normal...zombies overrun place...group runs...group meets other group...initial distrust and tension...eventually they get along...the group finds a nice place...zombies overrun place.

Yeah, it is somewhat logical, but it makes fro dull fiction in the long run.

That is why I never say this show is about the zombies. The zombies are the reason for the collapse of societal norms, and an ever-present danger. This story is about the characters, and about what happens when law and order goes away, and they do a good job keeping it fresh, so while the plot on paper is repetitious, the series does not feel that way.

It always amuses me when people say a gun fight isn't realistic. If you haven't been in one, how can you know what goes through one's mind under such duress?

We know some of the character have been through gunfights, yet they seem sloppy here, the Governor's attack was sloppy and who knows how many ambushes he's set up? As easily as his men took out the national guard (too easily, really), Rick's crew would be 90% dead now.

The real stretch was that the Dixon bros. made it to the prison the same day at just the right time. TROPE A- DOPE.

It always amuses me when people say a gun fight isn't realistic. If you haven't been in one, how can you know what goes through one's mind under such duress?

We know some of the character have been through gunfights, yet they seem sloppy here, the Governor's attack was sloppy and who knows how many ambushes he's set up? As easily as his men took out the national guard (too easily, really), Rick's crew would be 90% dead now.

The real stretch was that the Dixon bros. made it to the prison the same day at just the right time. TROPE A- DOPE.

This...

Gunfights aren't unreal... WE see them on TV. We've had them throughout history... We know how people react. From the OK Corral to the video'd shootout where bodyarmored thieves robbed a bank with high capacity magazines on kalishnakov's... I think it's fair, without being in a gunfight, to make educated guesses based on reality combined with what we know from the show then and the characters.

Anyway, I like this show a lot, but I really don't see it going anywhere...the group finds a nice place...things get normal...zombies overrun place...group runs...group meets other group...initial distrust and tension...eventually they get along...the group finds a nice place...zombies overrun place.

Yeah, it is somewhat logical, but it makes fro dull fiction in the long run.

You should read the books. You're right, there is a familiar cycle of "we think this place is safe, whoops it isn't." But Kirkman has done a great job of A.) introducing non-repetitive characters and B.) demonstrating that the group learns from their previous experiences. The next place they find will not be a prison, but they will look at it from that angle and examine "here's why this option is better" or "here's what we need to do differently this time." OR, they will get to a new place and have some regret about what they've left behind.

There are still dozens upon dozens of really interesting scenarios to cover. What happens when it gets cold? How long will the zombies last? Do they decay to the point of inactivity? What happens when the food runs out? What happens when the bullets run out? How could they fortify a camp better than the prison? What other interesting survivors will they meet up with? Will they trust them? Is there a cure? Can they rebuild? I just read this month's issue last night and in the letters column, Kirkman talks about the intentional slow de-evolution of this world. Yeah, everyone has guns right now and canned food, diapers, etc. That stuff is finite. The characters are going to have to learn to sustain themselves beyond raids and some of their tactics are going to have to return to medevil times. It is fascinating to see how people still place themselves into these factions and continue to fight each other instead of the larger threat. I just find it very reflective of how people are in this day and age - more private and less trusting despite technology that allows us to communicate any time and any place.

I think that all makes for a really interesting ongoing story of survival. I'm constantly asking myself "what would I do?" throughout the shows, and that makes it more engaging for me than anything else on TV right now. Your mom is dying and will turn into a zombie if you don't shoot her in the head. What would you do? You've trusted a cop to lead your group and know he's totally off his rocker. What would you do? You're reunited with your brother, but have totally different values now. What would you do? I love the zombies and shootouts and fast pace of the storyline, but what really makes the show a success IMO is that they keep coming up with these interesting scenarios that make you question what you would do to survive while holding on to some semblance of your humanity.

I have a friend, she's a huge zombie-phile, and she's pushing me to read the books so we have more to talk about with it because she's read them all... I'm pretty sure I'll be picking up the first one soon.

I keep getting told so many of teh aspects are different that it's worth reading them and doesn't spoil the show much.

I have a friend, she's a huge zombie-phile, and she's pushing me to read the books so we have more to talk about with it because she's read them all... I'm pretty sure I'll be picking up the first one soon.

I keep getting told so many of teh aspects are different that it's worth reading them and doesn't spoil the show much.

Just some advice Jesse: If you don't mind shelling out more money at once, go for the Compendiums. Each volume has 48 issues. It is cheaper overall than buying individual TPBs, plus once you start reading you might not be able to stop. The Compendiums mostly eliminate the need to change books.

Yeah I figure I'll go that way... I buy SW comics in whole volumes now. I like them looking more like actual books plus being able to just grab the one I want by the title on the spine... All that appeals to me on stuff on my book shelf.

I also don't get why Rick/Daryl/Merle have that stranded look on the outside. The fence was breached and there are now what 10-15 zombies between the interior and exterior fences? Heck, they took out more than than saving Rick! I don't get why they didn't immediately run back around to the interior fence and kill off everything that got through, then try to plug up the holes in the fence? The longer they wait, the worse that's going to get.

I took the last shot as being symbolic of how fractured/separated the group is becoming. The longer they stand around and wait to fix it - the worse it's going to get......

On another note - besides the great things that everybody has brought up - there is a little thing that has been bothering me. In the previews for this week's episode Carol is talking to Daryl about what a bad influence Merle is on him. I like the relationship Carol and Daryl are building - albiet slowly - I just hope she doesn't turn into Lori and start nagging and harping on him about Shane.2 I like the way Carol has come into her own - I hope it's handled well - she usually has a good way of talking to Daryl.

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"Y'all know you're the only ones with the Jesus fish in the titty bar parking lot" - Name*********************************************************Cancer Sucks

I think its great that Carol is willing to risk talking to Daryl about Merle. He seems to be realizing it on his own, but I think having someone else to lean on for a change will be good for Daryl. I really don't see her turning into Lori, but even if she did I'd have more tolerance for the advice of an abused-widow than the wife-who-slept-with-the-best-friend.

Jesse - if you're looking to read the books, I would actually suggest the Trades over the Compendiums. Amazon has the trades for $3-8 each, while the compendium is going to run you +$30. You can get the first 7 trade for about $40. Beyond price, I find comics in a compendium to be annoying because you have to either limit opening the book to 90 degrees or pry the binding apart to see everything. The Trades also give you new covers and they all fit together to form an ongoing picture, which is kind of cool. I also like how the storylines kind of wrap up a little with each trade, kind of like chapters. It makes it easier to remember where and when events took place in the story.

If you wanted to go with the original comic format, they've also re-published a good chunk of them for $.99 a pop. You could probably find a good chunk of them for cheap going that route, but might be more tedious trying to find individual issues.

To each their own, but I love the trades. I would still be buying them, but once I caught up to the current storyline I had to start getting the monthlies.